Time to diagnosis in multiple sclerosis: Epidemiological data from the German Multiple Sclerosis Registry

ORCID
0000-0001-8643-3824
Zugehörige Organisation
Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
Blaschke, Stefan J.;
ORCID
0000-0002-2274-5025
Zugehörige Organisation
MS Forschungs- und Projektentwicklungs-gGmbH (MSFP), German MS Register by the German MS Society, Hanover, Germany
Ellenberger, David;
GND
1202481507
Zugehörige Organisation
Neurological Rehabilitation Center Quellenhof, Bad Wildbad, Germany
Flachenecker, Peter;
GND
1011300222
Zugehörige Organisation
Katholisches Klinikum Bochum, Department of Neurology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
Hellwig, Kerstin;
GND
120885476
Zugehörige Organisation
Experimental and Clinical Research Center, Max Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine and Charité Universitaetsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Paul, Friedemann;
GND
122330285
Zugehörige Organisation
DRK Kamillus Klinik, Asbach, Germany
Pöhlau, Dieter;
GND
123343909
ORCID
0000-0002-1650-8875
LSF
58465
Zugehörige Organisation
Department of Neurology and Center of Translational and Behavioral Neurosciences (C-TNBS), University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
Kleinschnitz, Christoph;
ORCID
0000-0001-5209-6647
Zugehörige Organisation
Department of Neurology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
Rommer, Paulus S.;
GND
128454814
Zugehörige Organisation
Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
Rüger, Maria Adele;
GND
120760819
Zugehörige Organisation
Neuroimmunological Section, Department of Neurology, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
Zettl, Uwe K.;
ORCID
0000-0001-5308-105X
Zugehörige Organisation
MS Forschungs- und Projektentwicklungs-gGmbH (MSFP), German MS Register by the German MS Society, Hanover, Germany
Stahmann, Alexander;
GND
133369897
ORCID
0000-0002-3510-9255
Zugehörige Organisation
Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
Warnke, Clemens

Objective: To investigate the time to diagnosis in multiple sclerosis (MS) in Germany. Methods: Analysis of real-world registry data from the German Multiple Sclerosis Registry (GMSR) and performing a primary analysis in patients where month-specific registration of the dates of onset and diagnosis was available.

Results: As of January 2020, data of a total of 28,658 patients with MS were extracted from the GMSR, with 9836 patients included in the primary analysis. The mean time to diagnosis was shorter following the introduction of the first magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based McDonald criteria in 2001. This effect was most pronounced in younger adults below the age of 40 years with relapsing onset multiple sclerosis (ROMS), with a decrease from 1.9 years in 2010 to 0.9 years in 2020, while unchanged in patients aged 40–50 years (1.4 years in 2010 and 1.3 years in 2020). In the limited number of paediatric onset MS patients, the time to diagnosis was longer and did not change (2.9 years).

Conclusion: The current sensitive MRI-based diagnostic criteria have likely contributed to an earlier diagnosis of MS in Germany in younger adults aged 18–39 years with ROMS. Whether this translated to earlier initiation of disease-modifying treatment or had a beneficial effect on patient outcomes remains to be demonstrated.

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© The Author(s), 2021

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